Rape and the Culture of the Courtroom

Rape law reform has been a stunning failure. Defense lawyers persist in emphasizing victims' characters over defendants' behavior. Reform's goals of increasing rape report and conviction rates have generally not been achieved. In Rape and the Culture of the Courtroom, Andrew Taslitz locates the cause of rape reform failure in the language lawyers use, and the cultural stories upon which they draw to dominate rape victims in the courtroom.

About the author

Andrew E. Taslitz is Professor at Howard University School of Law. He is the author of five books, including Constitutional Criminal Procedure and Rape and the Culture of the Courtroom (NYU Press).

Summary

A study of how rape stereotypes are used by defence lawyers to gain acquittals in the USA. The author also presents reform proposals, consistent with feminist theories of justice, designed to improve both the American adversary system in general and the way in which the system handles rape cases.

Product details

• Authors: Henner Hess, Andrew E Taslitz, Andrew E. Taslitz
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.06.1999
• EAN: 9780814782309
• ISBN: 978-0-8147-8230-9
• No. of pages: 232
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 228 mm x 16 mm
• Weight: 304 g
• Series: Critical America (New York Uni; Critical America
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Social education, social work; Social sciences, law, business > Law > International law, foreign law